is the IM niche too male centred? would a woman marketer put you off?

by ruch1v
16 replies
hey guys, I was just wondering, would purchasing/learning from a woman marketer put some of you off? by that would you possibly doubt her credibility/knowledge of the topic by knowing that she's a woman? I know alot of people will automatically say no so that they don't sound sexist or whatever, but I do think this would be a variable


women marketers (preferably in the IM niche) have you felt noticed/experienced anything like this?
#centred #male #marketer #niche #put #woman
  • Profile picture of the author YourProfessional
    I don't get what the big fuss is over this whole sex debate. Men/woman as long as you're doing a good, great job - what difference does it make?

    I think it'd be different and cool. If you can prove you're a GREAT marketer - why wouldn't we learn from a woman?
    Signature
    Honest, No-BS Reviews Of WSOs...
    I test products... before I give my final review.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1709561].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author R Hagel
    As a female who's occasionally dabbled in teaching IM (ebooks, reports, workshops, personal coaching), I've never had that problem.

    Then again, how would I know? Someone who had a problem with my gender would likely just ignore me. And I know there are misogynists in this world, so I am sure some people won't do business with a woman.

    Cheers,
    Becky

    P.S. On the flip side, I did have some of my female customers tell me they chose my workshops because they wanted to work closely with another female. So any lost sales because of my gender may have been made up by increased sales due to my gender.

    Guess that comes out about even.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1709570].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author rahulchandra
    Being a woman has nothing to do with marketing skills..

    I buy products from people I trust and it doesn't matter if they are men/women.

    And why would anybody doubt someone's knowledge if they are learning from them?

    If I am learning from a Woman I already believe in her capabilities as a teacher, why would it put me off?

    Plus I know a great many women who have made a mark in IM

    Kim Roach
    Rachel Rofe
    To name a few..

    You might find these post useful BTW
    20 Best Marketing And Social Media Blogs By Women - Forbes.com

    And as for answer to your question,

    Its not a variable, NO!
    Cheers!
    Rahul
    Signature

    Nothing To See Here..
    Move Along Sir

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1709602].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
      Let me tell you something. There are some women, like Becky, who I trust
      MORE than I would trust some guys I know.

      In fact, I go out of my way to read her threads (as seldom as she starts
      any) just to see what she has to say because I value her opinion.

      Am I an oddball? (don't answer that!)

      Maybe, but I think a lot of people in general, male and female, have no
      problems buying from a woman.

      Or maybe you never heard of Oprah?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1709735].message }}
  • [DELETED]
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1710184].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author ruch1v
      My question was not a result of spiritual or cultural beliefs, nor do I belief that women are untrustworthy, I am a woman myself, the question was put forward due to my observation of the market in the short time I've been in it, none of the mainstream marketers that I have come across, or 'gurus' as some people say are women, and the only woman that I have seen teaching internet marketing are only through clicking signature links here, I've never (as far as I know, some sites may belong to women even though they don't have a picture/video/audio up) been referred to a site/squeeze/sales page through an email or anything with a female internet marketer, so I was wondering whether there was a reason behind it.

      It would seem that women would have more opportunities as they are more likely to stay at home to look after kids/maternity leave etc, so I wanted to know why there aren't many.

      Also, I didn't say or imply that women didn't belong in business, however, it's wrong to think that those thoughts belong to another age, I studied gender inequalities as a module at uni, so I know it's still an issue, in the UK today there is still a 12.2% pay gap between men and women doing the same job and out of the top 100 companies, 99 of them have a male CEO, so even if I had concerns that my gender may play a role in my success, it's not down to paranoia.. it's from witnessing the inequalities in the real world.

      Thanks everyone else for your comments and encouragement



      Originally Posted by MarkAndrews IMCopywriting View Post

      I'm guessing that your question/s must come from a
      culture point of view, perhaps based on your spiritual
      beliefs, that women do not or should not have a place
      in the business world?

      Correct?

      Whatever your heading is, as regards the question, it's
      a load of rubbish.

      Women should be a lot more highly valued in society
      and questions like this, well to be honest, they just
      belong to another age.

      Lets turn the tables on you the OP for a moment.

      Why the question?

      Why would YOU have some doubt that a Lady is not
      to be trusted as an online marketer?

      Precisely, what do you mean by asking these kind of
      questions?

      Why would you think like that in the first place?

      It's a pretty insulting question by any stretch of the
      imagination.

      Why should men be trusted more in business but not
      women?

      Frame your reference point, it'll be an interesting read.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1714293].message }}
      • [DELETED]
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1715162].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Adam Richards
          Originally Posted by MarkAndrews IMCopywriting View Post

          I don't really care too
          Why should I trust or distrust a lady over a
          guy, the question is absurd to me, completely
          inconsequential.
          I think it's great that you hold this view, and I also think it's unfortunate that so FEW people actually would ask themselves this question.

          HOWEVER

          There are many people who do NOT believe that men and women are fundamentally equal. Although I agree that this sentiment is definitely a little, well, barbaric, that doesn't mean that it isn't a reality.

          I think it is intelligent to take these kinds of prejudices into consideration if you are starting a business. It's at least good to know what kinds of hurdles you may have to jump over, if any, in order to be successful.

          Also, there is the issue of branding, and the INNEVITABILITY that men and women can be drawn by different motivations.

          I know plenty of guys, and I'm not sure whether or not this is a neccesarily a bad thing, who would be more likely to read copy simply in virtue of the fact that the woman at the top of the page looked attractive to them.

          Is this good? Well, no, but it happens.

          There are also people out there who simply distrust the opposite sex, whether they are men or women.

          It this good? Certainly not, but that doesn't mean that these people don't exist, and that their prejudices, no matter how severe, might be taken into consideration if you are launching an IM campaign.

          I'm glad that you believe there is no reason to doubt someone's credibility simply because they are a woman. But I think it's a little bit of a stretch to simply assume everyone else behaves the same way.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1715234].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
          Originally Posted by MarkAndrews IMCopywriting View Post

          I'm not about to distrust her just because of her gender. That would just be utterly daft.
          Wouldn't it be equally daft to trust a woman just because of her gender? :confused:

          Like I said, when it comes to issues of trust, competence or intelligence, plumbing does not matter...
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1715337].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author MisterMunch
    It really depend on how HOT the woman is.

    Kidding aside, I have bought a few products from women. PotPieGirl have me on her customer list, and I always check the emails from Kim Roach.

    I also know a few female writers that are doing an exellent job writing articles for me.

    The Mom blogs however is a little to niche for me. I tend to ignore those as I do not feel I fit that niche. I will not buy "Internet Marketing for Single Moms" either, but I bet some single moms will.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1710256].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sts2k
    In traditional marketing department isn't it mostly women?
    Signature

    PM me if you are interested in working with a skilled development team.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1710271].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author MisterMunch
    The idea of my post was not to prove that I am not a sexist.

    I got the feeling that the original poster was in doubt on starting in the internet marketing niche as a female.

    My post was written to show her that people do buy from females as well as males, and that there are some very remarkable ladies in the internet marketing field.

    Other that have come to mind since I posted: Angela Edwards and her 30 backlings, and Alexis Dawes with her Desperate buyers only.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1710360].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author faceit
    I have been making a full time income in IM for the past 4 years as a woman.
    My husband is an IM'er as well.

    I don't think it matters what gender you are if you are teaching true valuable content.
    I have found that my audience tends to be about 60% women while his audience is about 70% men. (we've done polls to check these stats)

    As we all know, people buy form people they know, like and trust and sometimes it's easier for other women to trust women.

    Having said that...I agree that a lot of Mommy Bloggers have poorly exploited their gender and some are juts throwing out rubbish to try and get affiliate sales.

    I am in the process (you may have seen my other thread) of starting an online magazine (Work from Home Tech Savvy and Internet Marketing affiliate marketer Mom's WAHM's Geek Moms Weekly) for tech savvy and IM Mom's.

    Yes, I am going into the "Mom's niche and here's why:

    I have a toddler and am expecting kid #2 in 9 weeks. My IM business is changing as my life changes and I am now a Mom first and IM'er second. This was not the case 4 years ago when I got started. I now relate to "Mom's" better than any other niche so that's where I'm going...

    (sorry, got off on a tangent)

    Bottom line...whether your male or female...offer great value and content, under promise and over deliver, and build relationships and connections with people/market you relate to and it won't matter your gender...you will find success if you're passionate about what you do in IM.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1710430].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Originally Posted by ruch1v View Post

    hey guys, I was just wondering, would purchasing/learning from a woman marketer put some of you off? by that would you possibly doubt her credibility/knowledge of the topic by knowing that she's a woman? I know alot of people will automatically say no so that they don't sound sexist or whatever, but I do think this would be a variable


    women marketers (preferably in the IM niche) have you felt noticed/experienced anything like this?
    When it comes to making money, and particularly when it comes to *me* making more money, plumbing doesn't matter. Back when I held jobs, one of the sharpest business people I worked for was a woman.

    Truth be told, when she and her husband bought the business, I did assume that he was the real boss. Of course, they also assumed that because I was both male and a part-time employee, I was incompetent in that business. A fairly loud discussion a few weeks into their ownership, and both of us realized the error of our thinking. From there until I left, it was mostly smooth sailing.

    I don't pay much attention to the "Mommy Bloggers" for the same reason faceit identifies with them. She is part of that group. I'm a middle-aged man with no kids, so that whole thing is foreign to me.

    On the other hand, being my late mother-in-law's full-time caregiver when my wife was at work, I strongly identify with people dealing with elder care.

    Even though I suffer from the lack of a Y chromosome, I have no problem learning from someone who has one...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1715099].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Daniel Brock
      John, you always have a good way at explaining things.

      The only thing that puts me off with women marketers are the ones that use headlines like 'Stay at home mom makes $4,000 in one month'.

      The whole mom thing kind of makes me feel like the product isn't for me.

      Money is money, I know.

      There's just something about it.

      I'm also going to go out on a limb here.

      Anything nerdy tends to be guy oriented.

      IM is nerdy...so you have mostly men
      Computer gaming is nerdy...so you have mostly men
      the same goes with programming
      Signature
      Clickbank #1 Best Seller: The Deadbeat Super Affiliate.
      Click here to learn how to make money online in your bath robe and gym socks!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1715143].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author butters
        Although I don't care if it is male or female selling me the product, the reality is, some men will not buy from a women. It is the same as business, even though women are becoming more equal to men in business, there is still sexism there which puts up more road blocks for them.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1715164].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Oxbloom
    I think fitness is the only niche where I'd sincerely be more inclined to purchase from a male marketer.

    Mostly because I'd be more inclined to believe another man would be more in tune with my abilities, needs, and desires in that field...if I were a woman, I'd prefer a fitness product created by a female.

    There would be some trepidation in the relationship/dating/sexuality niches, but with proper marketing, that could be worked around. "The perverse secrets we women NEVER wanted you to know!!!" sort of thing.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1715141].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author garyv
    The one difference I tend to notice between men and women making money online, is that most women don't need nor do they pursue the status labels like men do. Women don't need the title of "Guru". They'll figure out the game usually quicker on their own, and then eat the "Guru's" lunch.

    There's a huge internet beyond the warrior forum, and women are silently dominating out there. Most women have smartly figured out that they don't need the status labels to be able to bend the market place to their will.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1715315].message }}

Trending Topics